D is for Drafts

Every author goes trough multiple drafts of anything they write. Personally I am doing a first draft that no one will see then a second draft that I will start sharing with my writing group. Based in their feedback, I will work on my third and fourth drafts.

The first draft is the hardest for me, because I want to get all of my ideas out at once an make everything perfect. I am trying to break myself out of the habit of constantly editing, but it is hard going. I think if I can keep up not editing I will be able to finish my first draft of my romance by June. By December I want to be on at least my third draft.

Are there any special processes or habits you have when you write your drafts?

My Top Five Procrastination Destinations

In my first post I talked about how I get easily distracted from writing. These are the top five places I go for easy distractions.

1. Absolute Write

Those forums are addictive. Talking to people with different experiences is a great way for me to learn more about writing and publishing. I keep my eye on a few of these forums, but generally just cruise through and reading through whatever catches my eye. It is a great place for anyone in the writing industry to get information, whether you are a writer, editor, publisher, or something else.


2. Facebook

The publishing house I intern at has a private board for authors and staff. There are always great posts linking to different blogs and articles that can keep my attention for a while. This is where I find a lot of interesting articles that I eventually tweet.


3. Twitter

I love this form of connecting with people. I see and send out different articles, videos, and blog posts about writing and publishing. Because I read through every article I post, this is a great time waster. I love doing it and learn so much.


4. Blogger

If you guys could see the amount of posts I have drafted on here you would understand why I call this a procrastination destination. I love that I have this forum to express my thoughts and ideas and can't wait to share everything I have planned for you.


5. Email

I get a bunch of emails from my internship, Twitter, schools, and other places. Going through it all can be tedious, but I tend to gain access to even more interesting articles and information on publishing and editing.


Now I know procrastination can have a bad connotation but, if you don't take time from writing, ideas can dry up and you can become stressed. I often need something to do to get my mind off things and relax before I jump back into writing. These places are the perfect way for me to unwind. I suggest for everyone to find there own top Procrastination Destinations you can retreat to when writing gets to be to much. Don't procrastinate so much where you get nothing done, though, just step away from the writing long enough to let your brain take a break.

Writing Habits and a Hello

For the past few days, I have been debating back and forth on what topic I should write on for my first post. After watching a video by Joanna Penn about cultivating better writing habits I knew exactly what to talk about. I know I am in the horrible habit that instead of writing, I am constantly reading or wandering around the internet.

This video, though, inspired me to stop squandering my time so much, and make more time for writing. I constantly want to write and have ideas bouncing around my head, but I'm so easily distracted that I end up doing other things even as I think about the sort of things I wish I were writing at the moment.

With this in mind I have made the (belated) New Year's Resolution to write at least 500 words a day. That is enough to write two 80,000 word novels in a single year. As I get more comfortable in the habit of writing, I will start upping the minimum words per day.

So many goals for this year: Completing my two in progress novels, writing a few short stories I have in mind, and starting on the process of qualifying for the SFWA Associated Membership. So far 2013 has been a good year for me, but maybe I can extend this good fortune into my writing life.

One of the more public goals of the year is keeping up this blog. I love connecting with other writers and readers and hope that I will be able to here. You can expect posts every Friday, with the occasional post on other days. Almost everything I post will be about writing, reading, publishing, and the world that encompasses all of that.

See you next Friday.

How To Write More And Create A Daily Writing Habit by Joanna Penn